The Ontological Quest! .... Can you solve it?

 

Pedro Arrupe, Medieval Philosophers and My Wandering Mind

Why Pedro Arrupe Suddenly Appears in My Head

Everyone’s probably wondering: “Why is Pedro Arrupe suddenly here?” Trust me, I’m also wondering.

But here’s why: Pedro Arrupe gives a philosophy no one else has given. Not some abstract, ivory-tower philosophy but something practical, deeply lived. I honestly don’t know how to explain it all on philosophical grounds — it’s just there: God’s existence, ethics, epistemology, and an ethic of action that seizes my mind.

These days, though, I’m struggling. My consistency is a mess. My mind wanders. I want to do so many things but can’t hold the line. Emotions take over, cover my mind, drag me away. I think that’s just being human.

Still, I’ve started the race again. No matter how many times I fall, I’ll get up and walk — or run. Disappointments? Many. But one day will come, and it will change everything. I’m working for that day.

Through all this, I remain a human being searching for God, the purpose of ethical living, trying to understand life and form my own perspective. Each day passes and I feel I’m coming closer to something greater.

And you? You probably know this feeling too — the struggle to understand, to relate, to preserve yourself, others, and God, to stay happy and peaceful. Man has always sought peace. Only the means differ: some go for it through bad ways, some through good ways. Questions pop up every day — and still, we live.

Forget it; I won’t make you all too emotional.

Augustine, the Soul and My Existential Side-Eye

Augustine gave preference to the soul. But honestly? I don’t know what the purpose of the soul is or how to relate to it. He talks about traducianism and questions our soul’s existence. Sometimes I think there are more important things than this.

Augustine said our goal is happiness. Maybe it’s more than that. Maybe it’s a relationship we’re trying to establish. When scholasticism started, it took a scientific turn — faith and reason started being compared.

Augustine said faith and philosophy have no distinction. I disagree. Faith, I think, is beyond — transcending every “knowledge of God” we have. We can never fully perceive God, no matter what we think. Some personify Him, but at last He remains the One, the Creator.

Medieval Philosophers and Losing Yourself

In the medieval mix, inspirations came from Aristotle, from Muslim philosophers who either rejected or accepted Aristotle, from Boethius and Pseudo-Dionysius. Each spoke their piece. But when you swim in their ideas too long, you risk forgetting your own identity.

I believe everything has to be comprehensive and relational. Everyone needs to find their purpose — like Pedro Arrupe said — because purpose drives us daily.

When we come to Thomas Aquinas, I feel he deeply understood the person. He spoke of universals and particulars, essence and existence, realists, nominalists, and moderate realists.

Now you’ll ask: “What do these even mean?” My answer: discover for yourself. The struggle of discovery is the journey itself. Every day you have to stay consistent. Even if you break down, you keep walking until the heart finds peace.

St. Anselm, Duns Scotus, and the Daily Quest

In this quest, we try to discover God — just as St. Anselm did with his ontological proof (which is not fully comprehensible). I think God’s existence can only be experienced when you find your life’s worth and purpose. In that satisfaction, you find God. Reaching here is a big struggle — many die in it.

Sometimes I feel I’ve pushed my true self so far back that I can’t find him. And trust me — this has nothing to do with faith or devotion. Yes, they help. But a person might go to church daily and still find no fruit because he hasn’t found himself.

Maybe John Duns Scotus and William Ockham could help clear this up for you. Even I’m still struggling. At least I’m aware of where I’m heading, though I still feel lost.

Duns Scotus gave the theory of univocity. It can be broken down, but for now let’s just go with it. I like him because I have to do an assignment on him. Liking provokes effort, and effort provokes understanding.

Breaking Through Medieval Walls to Modern Philosophy

As time passed, I broke through the walls of medieval philosophy, smashed into modernity, and stumbled upon the boldness of the Renaissance.

And there stood René Descartes. Cogito ergo sum. “I think therefore I am.”

Whenever oppressive mentalities tried to crush the human spirit, the world fought back with innovation. Even while personally struggling, thinkers sought salvation for others. This too is a way of discovering God — by giving someone else’s life purpose, you gain your own.

These days, I think a lot about how my life can be productive and how the world can benefit. The danger: giving yourself too much importance. The cure: humility.

Religion, at its best, brings people together, gives values, provides focus. But sometimes it brings unnecessary rules that burden and bind us instead of liberating. Stakeholders act as watchmen of religion, deciding for people. Who gave them that authority?

Pope Francis, to me, is the counterexample. He embodied the transcendental attribute of religion, literally becoming a servant and serving.

Good and Evil, Rituals and Cosmic Order

Zoroastrianism’s central idea: a fight between good and evil. Good thoughts, good words, good deeds. Each religion has rituals — ideally, they bring peace and direction.

Zoroastrians also hold that each person carries an individual cosmos within, contributing to a greater realm. Whenever something appeals to people, they follow it, forgetting that all religions end at the same point: death — liberation. Or maybe life itself can be liberation, when you stop your senses and center your mind.

But the confusion many religions cause has really hampered the growth of youth and children. I believe a humanitarian religion will suffice forever — if we erase all the clutter and start over. Just like Descartes would: a total new understanding of everything, built from scratch.

Turning to Indian Philosophy

Indian philosophy shows the depth of mental modification we need to transcend and reach nirodha, the final liberative state beyond the senses.

The Vaiśeṣika school relates to the atomic formation of things — everything reducible to particulars.

When I think about my own existence, I think about love. Even I can’t understand it. According to Fr. Pedro Arrupe SJ, love is dangerous and can drive you crazy. But with this driving force, every question subsides and we enter a realm no one can explain.

Closing My Wandering Blog

So yes — Pedro Arrupe is here because he gives a practical philosophy that drives me. In between medieval scholastics, modern thinkers, Indian metaphysics, and Zoroastrian ethics, I am still searching for God, purpose, ethical living, and a personal philosophy.

Consistency remains my biggest struggle, but I know one thing: the race has begun. I may stumble, but I’ll keep running.

Do you agree with Pedro Arrupe’s thoughts of Love and finding God in all things? Give your answer in the comment section (Refer to the image above.)

— Rohan Brahmane SJ, Student of Philosophy